Fall for Greenville Kicks Off

Why volunteers are so badly needed

Bill Bowen is a Greenville native who’s been involved with Fall for Greenville for so many years, he’s actually lost count.

Bowen says in that time, the event has certainly grown bigger: more vendors, more attendees, more everything – well, except more open parking spaces, that is.

But Bowen also says the event itself seems to cast a light on the changing nature of Greenville as a whole.

“It just seems to be harder to get volunteers now,” Bowen explained. “That’s the main difference.”

It’s not simply that more people are needed, because Bowen can remember in years past when more volunteers total would come out, even back when the event was much smaller.

“It seems like a change in society,” he added. “It’s gotten to the point, you know, where everybody seems to be just staring at their phones all the time.”

As for how to encourage people to get out and contribute their time, Bowen says he doesn’t have any definitive answers.

“That’s beyond my pay grade,” he said with a laugh. “I mean how do you get people to even come out and vote?”

Still, Bowen can offer up one rationale for volunteering: the sense of ownership, of achievement, one feels when making an event like this happen.

“I can’t say enough to encourage people to volunteer. I mean, the event wouldn’t happen without volunteers. When you work the event, it kind of becomes yours, in a way. You can say to yourself: this thing wouldn’t be happening without me. And that feels good.”

To volunteer yourself, click here and pick a slot where workers are still needed.